Pickleball for Beginners

Pickleball is a paddle sport that mixes tennis, badminton and table tennis: you hit a perforated plastic ball with a solid paddle on a court the size of a badminton doubles court (20 × 44 ft, about 6.1 × 13.4 m), playing singles or doubles. The rules are simple, the ball is slower than in tennis and there is less running, which has made it one of the fastest-growing sports in recent years. Most beginners are rallying after a session or two.

Pickleball game screen: first-person view from the baseline, two computer opponents across the net — In the game: first-person doubles, with the serve, the two-bounce rule and the kitchen called by the real rules.

Practice the rules in the game ›

What to learn, in order

The basic rules: the serve, the two-bounce rule, out balls and faults
The kitchen (non-volley zone): the most unusual part of pickleball, and where most faults happen
How to score: only the serving team scores, and the score call has three numbers
The dink: the soft game at the net, the heart of every rally
The third shot drop: the key shot that gets the serving team to the net
Your first time on the court: what to bring, how open play rotation works, court etiquette

How is pickleball different from tennis and badminton?

A small court: the same size as a badminton doubles court, with a net lower than in tennis (34 in at the center, 36 in at the sidelines).
An underhand serve: you serve underhand, swinging low to high; no overhead serves like in tennis.
The two-bounce rule: both the serve and the return must bounce before they are hit, so no one can volley the first two shots.
The kitchen: you can’t volley inside the 7 ft (2.13 m) zone on each side of the net, so points are often won with patience and soft shots at the net, not just power.

Practice at home: a pickleball browser game

We made a first-person pickleball browser game that calls the two-bounce rule, the kitchen and the score by the real rules. It runs in your browser, phones included. The rule drills have you play through the serve, the two-bounce rule, the kitchen and out balls one by one; the scoring quiz practices score calls in match situations; and the situational drills break down tactics like the third shot drop, dinking and knowing when to attack, telling you on every ball whether you made the right call. Learn the rules and tactics in the game first, and you’ll settle in faster on a real court.

Watch and learn

**How to Play Pickleball**
Video: USA Pickleball (YouTube, loads when you play it)

FAQ

Is pickleball hard to learn?

No. The paddle is small, the ball is slow and the court is small, so most beginners can rally the first time they play. What takes practice is ball control at the net (the dink) and knowing when to attack and when to wait.

What equipment do I need for pickleball?

A pickleball paddle, pickleballs (outdoor balls have smaller holes and are harder; indoor balls have bigger holes and are softer) and court shoes made for side-to-side movement. Most courts and clubs have paddles you can borrow.

Is a pickleball court the same size as a badminton court?

Yes. A pickleball court is 20 × 44 ft (about 6.1 × 13.4 m), the same as a badminton doubles court, so many places simply add pickleball lines to badminton courts.

Can you play pickleball with just two people?

Yes. Pickleball has singles and doubles with nearly the same rules, but doubles is the most common: less running, more teamwork and more net play.

Last updated: 2026-11-03 · Based on the official USA Pickleball rules